


Signs

by Sunshineshipper



Category: Scooby Doo - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:48:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23017285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunshineshipper/pseuds/Sunshineshipper
Summary: And something finally goes off for him. Like a dam holding back repressed feelings gets shot down by Daphne's words. Now he's stuck piecing together her confession to a lifelong friendship and it's not easy. Especially with Daphne across from him staring like he's turned into one of the four eyed monsters they fight way too often."I'm the reason?"
Relationships: Daphne Blake/Norville "Shaggy" Rogers
Comments: 4
Kudos: 67





	Signs

"Why was it so difficult for you to just fall in love with Velma?"

At that particular moment, Shaggy had a mouth full of veggie burger and the very second Daphne's question ends, he swallows hard. It hurts because it didn't give him a chance to properly chew, but what hurts worse is the sudden remembrance of Velma- of their entire failed relationship where he did nothing but break her. All of which Daphne is aware of, so it's either a slip up on her part for bringing the past up or she got off on seeing him squirm.

Either or, he isn't sure how to give an answer. Well, he knows what to say, but not how to say it.

'It didn't feel right,' or, 'She kept trying to change me.'

'She wasn't the one that kept me up at night.'

He settles for his usual mediocre shrug and one finger fiddles around with the too greasy fries on his plate, trying his hardest to avoid eye contact except he doesn't have to be staring at Daphne to know her sighs demand a better explanation, "Like, it didn't feel right."

"What do you mean?" Her hand with her perfectly manicured nails- purple with tiny white stripes that he really likes- reaches for a fry in his plate instead of her own. Typical Daphne. Usually he'd be more stingy with his food, but he's too flustered to say anything. This time he watches as she chews in tiny bites.

"You can't force these things, Daph. Velma's cool, but we were better off as friends," feeling confident with his answer, he takes another bite of his burger. A smaller one in case Daphne had any other random questions that might accidentally make him choke to death. Meanwhile, her eyes seem to find a particular spot on the wall behind him that's interesting, and it gives him a chance to think.

Why was she interested in his relationship with Velma all of the sudden? It's been a solid two months since they decided to stay friends and she never seemed this invested when it was actually happening. Did something, without his knowledge, occur that triggered her to bring this up?

It must have.

'There's this restaurant I've been told makes great veggie burgers. Wanna try it?' That's word for word what she said when she called him at 8:15 pm that night. And given that it's his mission in life to find the best veggie burger, he agreed. Of course, he assumed Fred and Velma would be invited, so imagine his surprise when it's just Daphne already sitting and waiting on him.

Now he knows why.

Interrogation.

He's so in his thoughts that he doesn't realize Daphne's been staring at him until her faint giggle reaches his ears.

"Wh-What?"

"You've got, um-" she motions to the side of his face, then picks up a napkin, "Here," she bends forward and in one move wipes whatever excess condiment was on his cheek. This would be the time where she'd pull back and he'd try to hide his embarrassment, but she's still touching his cheek and her eyes are roaming all over him and she's not really smiling or frowning. But she does look lost in thought.

"I just don't get it," she mumbles, "How can you have feelings for someone, then they just stop."

He does his best to ignore the heat in his chest, "It's not like you and Fred. We're not built for each other."

Her lips hang open, her thoughts obviously at a stand still. Then, she pulls back, her back hits the red leather booth seat, and she stares at the ground, "I broke things off with Fred."

It's safe to say that his mind is permanently blown, "Y-You what?"

"Y-Yeah. Right before I called you, I just- things haven't been good with us for a while and I'm just now realizing. But maybe I've always been feeling like this?" She picks at her nail polish, which she only does when she's uncomfortable. He wants to take her hand, stop her from ruining her manicure, but it just didn't feel right. Not when she's freshly single- God, did it feel weird to think of anything but Fred and Daphne being inseparable.

Single.

Daphne's single.

Daphne freaking Blake, girl of every man's dreams, is single and she's right across from him because he's the first person she thought of going to.

"Daph, why'd you invite me out?" He questions without a care for repercussions.

"I mean, it's not like I could invite Fred out and Velma's not the best with being sensitive. Plus we never just hang out."

"We're together every day," he corrects, but it clicks as soon as he says it and she only confirms his suspicions.

"Never just you and me," she barely wants to say that, but she does. She picks a little too hard at her index finger and purple polish flakes fall. That's when he grips her arm from across the table, gently like he always is with her.

"You wanted to spend some alone time with me? You could've just-"

"Shaggy, it's not easy, you know? I just had to break up with Fred, the guy I've been obsessed with practically my whole life. And here I am with the guy that's the reason and-"

And?

And something finally goes off for him. Like a dam holding back repressed feelings gets shot down by Daphne's words. Now he's stuck piecing together her confession to a lifelong friendship and it's not easy. Especially with Daphne across from him staring like he's turned into one of the four eyed monsters they fight way too often.

"I'm the reason?"

She opens her mouth to speak and he guesses she didn't find the right thing to say because it shuts too quickly. He thinks she's on the verge of tears. Daphne being Daphne doesn't usually want anyone to see her cry, so she rummages through her purse and throws twenty dollars on the table and stands without even looking at him. If she says anything else it doesn't register.

She walks out and he lets her.

*********************************************************

It's two days later when he hears from her again. 3 in the afternoon and he knows because her image flashes across his screen with the time barely hiding her radiant smile.

He only lets it ring twice before he picks up, "Hello?"

There's shuffling on her end of the phone and he thinks she's mumbling something. Her voice is more clear when she answers, "Hi, Shaggy," he can practically see her grinning and he's got to get used to the fluttering in his heart when they're talking. Except he'll never get used to how she makes him feel.

"You know, I spent all morning rehearsing what to say to you, but now I can't remember," she laughs and, dammit, if it's not the most reassuring sound.

"It's okay. Take your time. I'm not going anywhere "

She sighs, "That's my favorite thing about you. You're always there."

"Like, I'll always be here for you, Daph."

"Yeah," it sounds so giddy, so sickeningly struck that Shaggy's thoughts run away from him. Daphne broke up with Fred and for whatever reason- he's trying not to get his hopes up on- he's the reason. Which is also the reason why she was so insistent on drilling him about Velma.

And Shaggy might not be as smart as Velma or as alert as Fred, but he knows that two plus two equals four and every sign points to the fact that-

Daphne is into him.

"Shaggy?" Her voice pulls him back.

"Y-Yeah?" He coughs softly because it suddenly feels like the surface of the sun in his room and he can't remember if he exhales or inhales first.

"You went quiet. I wanted to make sure you were still here."

"I am. I'm just kinda… kinda seeing something that I didn't notice before," his free hand rubs the back of his neck.

"Yeah? Anything good?" It's such a nonchalant question that anyone outside of the two of them wouldn't get her real meaning.

'Do you think you might feel the same way as I do?'

Of course, he's always been interested in her as more than the best friend he's ever had, but there's always been obstacles. Both of their own relationships, hers more than his. The fact that he never thought a girl like her could take an interest in him. But the thing is she's single and he's single and she's doing her best to admit her feelings without just saying it. He wishes she would, though, but he takes what he'll get.

"Can I take you to dinner tomorrow night?" He hops off his bed and paces around. He's got too much energy in him to just sit.

Her small gasp and a few shaky breaths and he already knows his answer before she says it, "I'd like that so much."


End file.
